Top NOAA official to speak at weather service open house

The National Weather Service's Sterling, Va., office has released more details about an upcoming open house at its headquarters, including some high-level speakers.

Among them is Jane Lubchenco, under secretary of commerce for oceans and atmosphere and administrator of National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. James Lee, meteorologist-in-charge of the Sterling office, and U.S. Rep. Frank Wolf, a Virginia Republican, will also speak at a session on the weather service's efforts to build a "weather-ready" nation.

Opportunities to visit the National Weather Service's facilities have been rare since the Sept. 11 attacks, but the open house is scheduled for 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 22, and noon to 5 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 23. The Sterling office covers the Baltimore area and all of Maryland except for parts of the Eastern Shore.

The speakers are scheduled for 10:30 a.m. that Saturday.

Other events will include weather balloon launches, kid-friendly weather experiments and information sessions on how forecasts are made and how to prepare for severe weather.